


A Furry Situation

by lvndrhoney



Series: Just Kitten Around [1]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Anniversary, Comedy, Established Relationship, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Making Up, Mention Of Pet Play, having to tag that killed me, jb may be a lowkey furry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-02 11:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14543727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lvndrhoney/pseuds/lvndrhoney
Summary: Jaebum makes a request that’s a bit too much for Jinyoung to handle.





	A Furry Situation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hyuukiyo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyuukiyo/gifts).



> My friend whomst I love and love to torture. You Know What This Is About, and you know exactly where this came from, and I need to let you know that when I hinted about doing something like this, you immediately guessed correct and I had to scramble to come up with something else. Anyways once you ruined me I realized JJP's anniversary was coming up anyway, I hope this doesn’t make you, or anybody else who reads this, hate me too much;;;;

Sometimes, when Youngjae stops by to visit, he doesn’t bother with texting anyone. Usually, he can almost always count on Mark being present, holed up in his room doing basically nothing. And if not Mark than Jinyoung, at least, possibly reading or playing with Jaebum’s cats.

He’s only just opened the front door when he hears a door further in slam and Jinyoung’s voice, empathic and enraged, ringing off the walls.

“I _refuse_ to be a part of your _furry bullshit!”_   Jinyoung yells at the same time Youngjae hears a soft thump against the floor. He’s scared to investigate, but creeps forward quietly to see a cat-eared headband on the floor. Simple, black, and stark against the white of the carpet.

None of this makes sense to him. What Jinyoung said didn’t make sense, the fact that somehow this involves cat ears doesn’t make sense, and that Jinyoung sounds so _angry_ doesn’t make sense, but what he does understand, is if they’re in the middle of an argument, he doesn’t need to be there. So Youngjae slips away as discreetly as he slipped in.

Youngjae doesn’t think much of it, or at all, really, and it’s not until two days later when he’s having lunch with Mark that he’s reminded of what happened.

He’d messaged the rest of the group to see if any of them were nearby and wanted to join them. No one else but Jackson bites, and he’s happy to see him when he strolls in. Jackson slides into the booth, doesn’t even greet either of them but opens immediately with: “So what are Jinyoung and Jaebum fighting about now?”

Mark, glances up for a second from his food, curious about this news. “Who says they’re fighting?"

“Me.” Mark gives him an unimpressed look and digs back in to his fries. “Call it a hunch,” Jackson starts as he reaches into Mark’s food. Mark jerks his plate away but Youngjae pushes his own Jackson’s way in sympathy. “But I asked Jinyoung what he was going to get Jaebum for their anniversary…and he told me ‘Rogaine’.”

“Seriously?” Mark cackles. When Jackson nods he leans back, high pitched laughter racking his frame. “Must’ve been pretty bad, then.”

At this point Youngjae, slightly uneasy, speaks up. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal…”

Jackson forgoes scavenging from their plates and gives Youngjae his full attention and Mark’s eyebrows tick up at his admission.

“What do you mean by that?” Jackson asks, leaning forward with a cheek in his hand.

“I dropped by the other day and Jinyoung seemed really upset. I didn’t want to get in the middle of it,” Youngjae huffs exasperated. “But I really didn’t think it could have been that serious since there were _cat ears_ involved!”

“Cat ears?” Mark repeats.

“Like fake, costume cat ears?” Jackson adds, trying to make sure he’s understanding correctly. Youngjae gives bewildered affirmation. “Did you hear anything?”

Youngjae’s response is slow as he tries to recall and recount events that he had trouble interpreting at the time. “I don’t think I heard correctly…but Jinyoung did say something about…not liking Jaebum’s ‘furry bullshit’? Do either of you know what that means?” Youngjae inquires.

A sickly suspension in the conversation grips the small group as Jackson and Mark tense with this new information that neither of them wanted to know. The shift in the air and the taut electricity that radiates from each of them brings theirs eyes to the other. In a split second they bond tortuously with the knowledge they _both_ know exactly what Youngjae means and that they have a harrowingly vivid idea of what had transpired in that room.

In unison they both turn back to Youngjae.

“No idea.”

 

* * *

 

It’s Jackson’s idea to confront Jinyoung first. It has been several days and the tension between Jinyoung and Jaebum has started to cast an uncomfortable chill among the rest of the group. And while their cold war hasn’t racked up any casualties, Jackson doesn’t want to wait until it gets to that point. Mark, on the other hand, is a bit more willing to let things blow over naturally, but agrees to help, knowing just how adept Jinyoung is at dodging confrontation.

Jackson notices Jinyoung approaching their table, and motions to get Mark’s attention. “Time for ‘Plan: Double-Team Jinyoung’ to go into action,” he whispers way too loudly for the words he just said.

Mark tries to choke down the laugh that’s startled out of him because Jinyoung is clearly within his view, but still too caught off guard enough by the name, he buries his face in his arms for a brief moment to collect himself. “Jackson, do not call it that!” He grouses as quietly as he can.

If Jinyoung observed their little display he doesn’t mention it, merely smiles and greets them normally before sitting down across from them.

The conversation is, good, carefree, Jinyoung is laughing and having a good time, and it’s the most easygoing they’ve seen him since…well whatever exactly went down between him and Jaebum. Jackson feels slightly guilty to break it with a tentative, “So, are you and Jaebum okay?”

As if he’d cast a spell, the mention of Jaebum’s name obliterates any contentment on Jinyoung’s features. He’s outwardly tense but replies anyway, “Yes.” He takes a sip of his drink to elongate his response, giving the two of them a tight lipped smile when he sets his cup down. “We’re doing fine.”

Okay. He didn’t get up and throw hot coffee in either of their faces, so that’s a good sign.

Mark leans forward, voice gentle as he says, “It doesn’t seem like it, at least not to the rest of us.”

First step of breaking down Jinyoung’s defenses was appealing to his preoccupation with team dynamics. Low, but it is Mark’s most effective tactic to get Jinyoung to pick a healer when no one else wants to. What’s Mark supposed to do; play Mercy _himself?_   Jesus Christ no.

Luckily for them, Jinyoung folds immediately; Youngjae possibly already started in on him without even knowing, no doubt asking about their relationship as tactfully as he could. Nice.

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung starts, body sagging in his chair. “I don’t want to bother any of you. It’s nothing, really, we’ll get over it.”

“Jinyoung, it’s almost been a week.” Jackson reaches over and squeezes Jinyoung’s shoulder. “You know you can talk to us, right? You can tell us anything? Even things that might be…embarrassing.”

Jinyoung starts to frown and Mark kicks Jackson underneath the table subtly as he can. “What he _means_ ,” Mark says as he digs his heel into Jackson’s foot, “is no matter happens, we won’t judge and we’ll try to be as impartial as we can. And if you don’t want Jaebum to know you said anything, he doesn’t have to hear about it. Right, Jackson?”

“Right yeah, of course, of course,” Jackson hisses, kicking Mark away.

Jinyoung is silent for a while, looking down at his hands. “It’s—it’s kind of—personal.” Speech stilted, ears red as he continues, “There hasn’t been much time lately, and we won’t have any time coming up, and everyone else was out so we decided to…take some time for ourselves.”

Mark waves his hands out in front of him and clears his throat. “We get it.”

“Do we? When you say ‘time for yourselves’—” This time, it’s Jinyoung that kicks Jackson underneath the table. “I’m not saying give us the _details_ —”

“We decided to try something new, okay?” Jinyoung retorts sharply. “If Jaebum asks then of course I don’t mind trying, that’s how we work. We’re very…open with each other.” Jinyoung says the last part softly, almost fondly, but his tone changes into something more clipped as he straightens up and continues hurriedly, “But it didn’t go well and then we argued. Like I said: it’s nothing.”

“There has to be more to it than that, Jinyoung.” Mark, pinches Jackson harshly underneath table but Jackson fends him off and plows on. “C’mon, Mark, _it’s been a week!_ I can’t believe because Jaebum wanted Jinyoung to dress up—” Mark stamps hard on his foot. “Or, or something and now their whole relationship is on the rocks!”

“It’s not like that,” says Jinyoung, voice wavering minutely. Jackson stops swatting at Mark and they instantaneously redirect their attention to him. “He wanted me to—to act like a cat.” Jinyoung’s fully voice catches on itself as he scrapes those words out of his throat.

…Well then.

Neither of them are exactly surprised by this revelation given what they had learned from Youngjae, but to hear it said out loud, to actually have an explicit confirmation of their worst fears is still jarring.

“Jaebum wanted you to wear some cat ears and prance around a bit,” Jackson lays out plainly, recovering more rapidly than Mark. Jinyoung looks increasingly mortified and Mark’s desperately trying—and failing—to keep his face neutral, but Jackson perseveres. “I don’t get what’s so bad about that? We’ve all done more over the top things in public.” Mark manages to collect himself enough to nod in agreement.

“No it’s not—just _that_.” Jinyoung reiterates, choked up with more distress than before.

“What is it then?” Jackson pushes impatiently.

Jinyoung snaps, voice breaking. “ _He wanted me to drink out of a cat bowl._ ”

Mark and Jackson freeze in place.

“…Oh.”

“On my _hands and knees_ —”

Now, it’s Jackson’s strained voice that’s saying, “Jinyoung, we get it.”

Marks gets up and goes to the other side of the table to put an arm around Jinyoung, face now buried in his hands.

“I don’t even know where he got that bowl from,” Jinyoung’s muffled voice cracks in despair. “Oh my god, was it _actually_ one of his cats' bowls? Did he even wash it?”

“He, probably, bought it especially for you?” Mark tries uncertainly. If there’s a lesson plan for how to comfort your friend in this specific scenario, Mark would pay big money for that masterclass.

“ _That’s even worse!_ ”

 

* * *

 

The plan is simple: Get Jaebum and Jinyoung together in the same room under the guise of a “Family Dinner”, let the bad air clinging to them waft away with the help of good food and…well, decent company, at least, and maybe, _just maybe_ , they’ll be calm and comfortable enough by the end that they talk out their issue like reasonable adults and everything would go back to normal.

Jackson is the only one confident in this plan.

Youngjae, who suggested the idea, is cautiously optimistic. He (foolishly) hoped Jackson or Mark would come up with something better, but Jackson jumped on the idea with bountiful enthusiasm and Mark was…well…Mark and didn’t offer a single solution.

Mark is banking on:

1) Jaebum stuffing his face too full to say anything thoughtless and

2) Jinyoung passive-aggressively ignoring that Jaebum is even in the room

So WWIII doesn’t pop off in the middle of their meal.

The evening goes along more in line with Mark’s predictions, with neither Jaebum nor Jinyoung addressing the other with more than perfunctory glances. Thankfully, it’s plenty easy to talk and eat around their bad vibes especially with Jackson running expert interference. But with the fact that the best laid plans can go awry arbitrarily, it’s not a surprise that their slapdash attempt at forcing this accord ends up unraveling.

Unprompted, BamBam leans back and peers around the table. “How’s everyone feeling tonight?”

The rest of them throw an array of confused looks at him response, but Jackson jumps on it, thankful he can at least count on BamBam in this dire situation. “I’m good, how about you?”

With the way BamBam grins, one would think he’d just been given some sort of grand prize. That expression doesn’t loiter for long, whisked away when BamBam sighs dramatically. “I don’t know, man, it’s complicated; kind of hard to explain,” BamBam says. “I think Jinyoung knows what I mean, though.”

Being addressed so suddenly has Jinyoung sitting rigid in his seat. He doesn’t say anything, brow pinched together as he tries to decipher BamBam’s impish look.

“It’s like…” BamBam raises a fist next to his face and Mark feels a sudden flash of foreboding flow over him.

“BamBam, don’t.”

“You know—”

“— _BamBam_ —”

“—Nya.”

Silence. Sound of Jinyoung standing up, his chair scraping across the floor seems to echo. Reticent, Jinyoung mumbles, “I should start cleaning up.” He gathers up his dishes and utensils and bolts to the kitchen.

Jaebum scrambles out of his chair and calls after him, “Jinyoung, wait—!”

The air around table is stuffy; now the only sound BamBam’s muffled snickering. Wide-eyed with disappointment, Jackson tries to catch Youngae’s gaze who avoids it by sliding down in his seat and staring down at his bowl. Mark’s glare is wasted on BamBam whose face is in his hands, shoulders shaking silently.

There’s a few more beats of silence until Yugyeom reaches into the center to pick up a chicken leg from one of the Styrofoam containers open on the table.

Yugyeom studies the scattered state of his friends’ faces, gnawing on the leg and murmurs around it, “The chicken is lovely.”

 

* * *

 

Out for fun, and in desperate need of mindless entertainment, the seven of them agree on going to a noraebang, and despite the…intergroup conflicts, the whole thing starts out alright.

Jaebum and Jinyoung stay on opposite sides of room at all times and refuse to even look at each other, of course, but this sort of taciturn behavior is expected.

From the moment they walked into the building, Jinyoung stubbornly refused to interact with Jaebum in any capacity, not even indirectly. Even going as far to pay for his own food and drinks (an extraordinarily bizarre occurrence) because he didn’t want Jaebum to pay for him. But, at least it’s relatively simple to ignore the tension—as long as the rest of them make enough noise to override it—all the more when the cat-fighting couple continue to pick songs with suspiciously pointed lyrics.

Unfortunately for all of them, the absence of any explicit fights lulls the group into a false sense of safety, and no one catches the shifty look Yugyeom and BamBam exchange.

It’s Yugyeom’s turn to pick a song, when BamBam suddenly grabs a bag of candy and declares, “Bet you 10 lunches I can eat this in 30 seconds!” He doesn’t even wait for anyone to take him up on it, just opens the bag and tips his head back. The sour powder hits the back of his throat harshly and his face twists up into an ugly grimace before he starts hacking and coughing. The room’s attention shifts to BamBam, everyone laughing as he dramatically clutches at his throat. Giggling, Jinyoung tosses him a bottle of water, gripping hard onto Jackson.

The first few beats of a familiar song begins to play, and the laughter dies down except from BamBam who falls over onto the floor—his coughing shifted into a cackle—and then scrabbles to his feet to stand next to Yugyeom in the middle of the room, a mic in hand.

“ _No matter where you go,_ ” BamBam starts cheerfully, ignoring the heightening sense of upcoming pandemonium that’s building behind him.

“ _No matter where you look, yeah,_ ” Yugyeom joins in, swinging an arm around BamBam’s shoulders.

“ _The pretty girls are…_ ”

“A-O-A!” Yugyeom and BamBam yell together before devolving into high pitched laughter, AOA’s _Like a Cat_ blasting through the speakers around them.

Youngjae, whose expression flits between that of someone who wants to laugh and someone who wants to cry, stares openly at Jaebum who’s clenching his jaw so hard he’s not sure his teeth won’t crack from the pressure.

Jinyoung doesn’t even make it to the chorus. He dashes out of the room wordless with Jaebum hot on his heels.

The door hasn’t even shut all the way behind them when Mark leaps up from his spot on the couch, plastic tray that had previously housed their snacks in hand, and launches himself at the two culprits dancing front and center. They aren’t paying attention at all, too busy preforming for an audience of themselves, loudly screeching their rendition of the song into the mics. A silently fuming Mark swings the tray at BamBam and narrowly misses his head only because Jackson is swift enough to yank at the back of his shirt and disrupt the trajectory. Fortunately for Yugyeom and BamBam, who only now notice the imminent danger, this gives Youngjae enough time to grab his wildly swinging arm and pull him back.

“Mark you could kill them!” Jackson yells when Mark takes another wild swing. BamBam screeches and stumbles back, dragging a breathlessly laughing Yugyeom down with him.

“That’s the goal.”

Mark continues to struggle against the two of them while Yugyeom rolls over on to his side and clutches at his stomach.

“Mark, calm down, calm down,” Youngjae manages to eke out.

“ _I’m calm._ ”

“He probably just had to go to the bathroom! It’s probably fine, right, Youngjae?” Jackson only gets an incredulous look in response from Youngjae at his poor attempt at consolation.

“In our defense, this is a good song,” BamBam shouts over the music.

Yugyeom, calmed down a bit, only leans his head up just enough to include, “And it’s really freaking funny,” still giggling through the entire sentence.

“…It was kind of funny,” Youngjae agrees. Mark shoots a glare at Youngjae who immediately lets him go. He backs up with hands up and huffs, “I said ‘kind of’!”

Jackson takes advantage of Mark being momentarily distracted to rip the tray out of his hands and throw it across the room. While disarming him may have been good for the other two, this only makes Mark’s ire switch to Jackson instead, who mumbles out a weak, “Youngjae, can you please keep him from murdering anyone while I go and check on them?”

Youngjae approaches carefully but Mark huffs and twists out of Jackson’s grasp to head back to the couch and plops down with his arms crossed.

“It’s fine,” Mark says evenly. “I know where both of them sleep.”

Yugyeom finally has the nerve to look a bit worried and whines as he sits up fully. “Mark, it was a joke.”

“Yeah, and somebody has to address it,” BamBam reasons as he stands up and brushes off his pants. “If they won’t do it themselves it’s up to us, their loyal and _selfless_ friends—”

“Really?” Youngjae questions, frowning at BamBam dubiously. “Do you think we’re dumb?”

Right as BamBam prepares to respond, Jackson, who had slowly inched his way out of the room (darting looks in Mark’s direction the entire time) ducks back in and presses his back against the door. “Shut up,” Jackson whispers harshly. “They’re right down the hall! I think they’re finally making up!” BamBam throws Mark a smug smirk that he promptly ignores. All attention falls to Jackson as he cracks the door back open and peers around the doorframe. “And if you guys would quiet down maybe I could hear what they’re saying.”

Those words release a floodgate of four bodies suddenly rushing to clamber against Jackson, pressing him into the door as they all try to listen in on the conversation taking place outside. He wriggles and hisses in pain but otherwise lets it happen.

“—not having this discussion right now.” Jinyoung’s voice mummers dangerously low, barely filtering over the soft pulses of music.

“Why?” Jaebum’s agitated voice isn’t nearly as quiet.

There’s a sharp inhalation of breath from one of them, probably Jinyoung as he tries to keep some semblance of cool. “Because we are in the middle of a _group outing_ and I don’t want to discuss this in public.” Each word is said like he has to regather every shred of patience he can muster right after he pushes another out of his mouth.

“Seems like they already know,” Jaebum grinds out accusingly. “Who cares if they overhear?”

“Why are you saying that like this is my fault? You think I want all of them to know about what you did?” Jinyoung’s voice rises in volume as his tone shifts from that of barely concealed resentment to that of outright hostility.

“ _What I did?”_   Jaebum repeats with a sputter. “I want to try something new and I’m _demonized_ for it?”

“‘Demonized’?” Jinyoung scoffs incredulously, parroting Jaebum. “Oh please, because I’m _normal_ and don’t want to be treated like an _animal_ now I’m ‘demonizing’ you?”

“ _That’s_ too far but wanting to _choke me_ is f—”

“Maybe that’s the only way to get you to shut up! God, I wish I could choke you right here—”

“Oh, so you’re an _exhibitionist_ now—”

Jackson slams the door the rest of the way. It’s quiet, the song having ended and no one knowing how to break the awkward silence. BamBam clears his throat and Jackson, Youngae, and Mark immediately glare at him and Yugyeom, both backing up guiltily.

“Okay,” BamBam starts uneasily as the others advance on them. “Maybe we messed up.”

 

* * *

 

It’s getting late when Jackson and Jinyoung head back to the apartment after hanging out most of the day, Jackson coming along at Jinyoung’s explicit request; he’d pleaded and begged for Jackson to be a buffer to the inevitable awkward collision that was being in the same residence as Jaebum—on their anniversary—while they were _still_ “not”-fighting.

(It was a not-fight, Jinyoung insisted, because an actual fight meant there was an argument, and an argument implied that there were two sides. There were not two sides, according to Jinyoung, but just the one that was his own.)

((“A cat bowl, Jackson, a _cat bowl_.”))

They’re walking down the hallway and nearing the door when Jackson speaks up cautiously. “I know you said not to bring it up—”

“Then why are you.” Jinyoung cuts him off, sharp and icy.

“All I’m saying is that Jaebum loves cats and Jaebum loves _you_ so, really you should be flattered! He just wants to combine the things he loves most, is all.” Fortunately for Jackson, looks don’t have the ability to cause any physical harm, lest he would have been eviscerated into miniscular pieces on the spot from the glare Jinyoung levels him with. He shrinks out of Jinyoung’s reach first and then adds, “Plus, he lets you choke him, apparently…”

If Jackson hadn’t been situated so far away, any onlookers would have assumed he had tripped Jinyoung with the way he stumbles, face dropping into a flustered grimace. “You—heard that?” Jinyoung squeaks.

“We all heard it.” Jinyoung, too embarrassed to reply, avoids looking at him when they stopped in front of the door. “Keep what I said earlier in mind, okay?” Jackson sighs. “You know he loves you.”

The tone Jackson uses has Jinyoung peering at him suspiciously. “What do you mean by that?” The only response he gets is Jackson tilting his head back to squint at the ceiling. “Jackson! You promised you guys weren’t going to try anything!”

“Jinyoung, you had to know he wasn’t going to leave it alone. Just try not to ruin your own anniversary party,” Jackson says in a rush as he opens the door.

Jinyoung barely manages to choke out, “My _what?”_ before being shoved ungracefully into the room. Jackson presses up behind him and closes the door, effectively trapping Jinyoung in. Mark’s waiting by the entrance and grabs one of Jinyoung’s arms.

“Do we have to carry you or are you going to walk?” Jinyoung glowers but deflates in surrender, takes off his shoes, and follows them willingly. He may drag his feet along the way, but it’s not as if he doesn’t want to reconcile with Jaebum. Heck, he’s been thinking about how to do to it himself for days, and while he wouldn’t admit it to their faces, Jinyoung’s relieved he has an out because of his friends’ meddling.

Their entrance into the living room is noticed first by Youngjae, and a handful of well-placed slaps on Yugyeom’s chest has him hopping onto the coffee table and clearing his throat, carefully avoiding the food that’s haphazardly spread out.

“Today, we are gathered here to have fun, watch movies, eat snacks, and celebrate true love,” Yugyeom begins, reading monotone from a crumpled sheet of paper in his hands.

BamBam cuts him off with a loud boo and throws popcorn at Yugyeom’s head. “I told you I should have done it; he sounds like a robot.”

“Can you even read?” Mark asks from his spot on the floor.

Youngjae pitches forward, nearly falling off of the couch with laughter, and the movement draws Jinyoung’s eyes to Jaebum sitting next to him. When they make eye contact, Jaebum gives Jinyoung a tiny, apprehensive smile, who can’t help but to return it with one of his own. The moment is broken when Jackson drags Jinyoung in their direction, prompting Youngjae to spring up from where he has Jaebum bracketed into the arm of the couch, and they both throw him down in the space where Youngjae had just been in what seems to be a choreographed maneuver.

“If you want to fight, just wait until we leave.” Mark is already leaning up to click play on the paused Netflix movie not giving Jinyoung a second to process what just happened.

Yugyeom—still on the table—fights against Jackson who’s trying to drag him down and gripes, “Can I finish reading this, please?”

“It took Jackson 50 years to even get him here so, no,” Youngjae says tearing into a bag of chips. Jaebum doesn’t waste time either, opens a package of something sweet and soft and hands it to Jinyoung automatically, before then grabbing one for himself.

“I was trying to be subtle!” Jackson protests from the floor, taking a minute pause from pinning Yugyeom down.

They’ve barely settled in when Jaebum suddenly jerks and peeps down at his phone for a brief moment. “BamBam, go down and get the pizza,” Jaebum blandly commands. The phone gets tucked back in his hoodie’s front pocket and he leans back against the couch comfortably and focuses on the TV screen.

“Why me? I wanted Chinese takeout!”

“Okay, I’ve taken note of that.” Jaebum holds out his hand and gestures towards the front door, eyes still focused on the movie. “Now go get the pizza.”

“You don’t even like pizza,” BamBam groans as he drags himself off of the opposite end of the couch.

“Yeah, but Jinyoung does,” Yugyeom stage whispers.

Jaebum freezes and in lieu of responding shoves an entire snack cake in his mouth. _Maybe_ he had heard Jinyoung say he was craving pizza earlier today, and _maybe_ Jaebum had ordered what he knew were Jinyoung’s favorite toppings. Maybe. Who could say? Definitely not Jaebum; at least not without spitting crumbs all over the floor.

A stifled laugh from his left is the only warning he gets preceding the familiar feeling of fingers tenderly brushing the crumbs away from the corners of his mouth. He looks up to catch eyes with a mischievously grinning Jinyoung.

“That hungry?”

The teasing lilt in his voice has a flush running up his neck. Jaebum grabs his hand and pulls it away from his face but tucks it into his side, mumbling a muffled, “Shut up,” as he tries not to smile. It’s hard not to, though, when Jinyoung doesn’t pull his hand away, but laughs and scoots in closer, readjusting to lean his head on Jaebum’s shoulder.

“ _Ew._ ”

Jinyoung doesn’t spare him a glance. “You are free to leave, Yugyeom; you will not be missed.”

By the time BamBam comes back, Jinyoung is half in Jaebum’s lap and spends the rest of the night there, ignoring every groan and complaint from their younger friends, and only moves when Jaebum gently untangles himself apologetically before rushing off to his room. He returns with two plain boxes, nervously gestures for Jinyoung to take the top one as he sits down next to him.

Jinyoung opens the box and slowly lifts out a pair of white Crocs and gasps softly when he notices the lettering etched into the side, the date they met emblazoned in black. Following the lettering with his eyes, he turns the shoe slowly, taking it in. Brow furrowing, he stops when he doesn't see his own name etched into the heel, but Jaebum’s name instead.

Jinyoung doesn’t get an opportunity to ask, his question halted when Jaebum reaches out to gently grasp his hand. “We’ve been with each other, every step of the way, and I’m so thankful for all the support you’ve given me for all of these years, Jinyoung,” Jaebum starts quietly, his words get caught from the anxiousness that bubbles in him when he meets Jinyoung’s eyes, but he powers on determined. “I wanted something to symbolize that and—and how…how I want to continue to be by your side for as long as you’ll let me.” He opens up the second box and pulls out a matching pair of white Crocs, Jinyoung’s name and the date they met proudly stamped into his own pair.

“Jaebum—!” Jinyoung shakily breathes out, years of love and heartache, of success and failures, of every late night and early morning shared together colors the one word he can say in this moment. It takes only the slightest tug from Jaebum for Jinyoung to tumble forward into his arms, burying his face into Jaebum’s shoulder.

“I’m so happy for you two,” Jackson sniffs noisily from where he sits on the floor with one arm around Mark—hastily swiping the tears from his own cheeks—and the other around Yugyeom who’s loudly sobbing into his palms.

BamBam stares at the shoes, horrified, like they were suddenly going to sprout scaly legs and scatter up the walls and spit acid on everyone in the room. Actually, for him, that probably would have been preferable to the reality of two of friends being proud owners and wearers of _couple Crocs_. Under his breath he grumbles, “I’m going to throw up,” the palpable disgust driving a loud bark of laughter from Youngjae who pats his back in consolation.

 

* * *

 

After the cleanup and well-wishes and everyone has gone their own ways, Jinyoung finds himself in front of Jaebum’s door, shifting from foot-to-foot as he steels himself. He takes a big breath and knocks lightly before entering.

Jaebum is sitting at his desk, lamp on and laptop open, and looks surprised to see Jinyoung closing the door behind him.

“I thought you were going to bed,” Jaebum says, trying not to sound overtly timid as he spins around in his chair. He makes to stand up but Jinyoung gestures for him to keep sitting.

“I was—am—this won’t take long,” Jinyoung says skittish in both countenance and call. Leaning back against the door and fiddling with his hands, he adds, “I don’t want to keep you from working.”

Immediately, Jaebum leans around to close his laptop and to keep himself from saying something cheesy like, ‘I always have time for you,’ or ‘Spending time with you outweighs anything else,’ or something equally as bad that he’ll never live down. “It’s not that important,” is what Jaebum settles on instead.

“It’s about your gift…” Jinyoung trails off, tilting his head as he searches for the words he wants to use.

“Don’t worry about that; I wasn’t expecting anything since you didn’t know about the party,” Jaebum explains quickly. There’s a meager pause of hesitation before he continues faintly, “I’m just happy you stayed.”

“Actually, it’s not that I didn’t get one,” Jinyoung laughs nervously glancing down and missing how Jaebum’s eyes jump incrementally in surprise: he’d assumed Jinyoung planned on giving him the silent treatment for another week. Lord knows he’s done it longer for less. “But first I want to say I’m sorry for reacting so strongly to—to…that.”

“Jinyoung, you don’t ha—”

“Let me finish.” The flare of frustration in his voice has Jaebum quiet. “I should have told you what didn’t work for me instead of leaving and icing you out. I know you always listen but I—it was embarrassing.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, Jinyoung,” Jaebum implores softly. This gets Jinyoung to finally peek back at him, only for a moment, and he nods slowly, eyes restlessly darting to a poster on the wall instead of Jaebum.

“I know that—I _knew_ that—and it’s not even like I hated…all of it,” he ends carefully, eyes still evading Jaebum’s face.

“I see.” Words suffocate one-by-one in his throat and he knows he has to look dumbstruck by what’s unraveling in front of him. He takes minor solace in Jinyoung pretending Jaebum’s bedspread holds the secrets of the universe, so at least he has a few seconds to school his expression in the moments before Jinyoung can handle focusing on him, again.

“If you wanted to, I thought—since it’s our anniversary and all—we could, maybe, try it again.” Jaebum instantly finds himself nodding and Jinyoung interposes briskly, “But! But this time, we have to lay out all the ground rules first.”

“Of course, that’s what we should have done the first time around,” Jaebum says in a rush, straightening in his chair, the utter disbelief that this is even happening compelling him breathless.

“I’ll wear the ears…” Jinyoung swallows thickly and gazes at the water bottle dripping condensation on Jaebum’s desk, idly thinks to himself he should get a coaster from the kitchen. He crosses his arms across his chest and speaks so tacitly it’s difficult to hear when he adds, “and the tail.” Jaebum’s eyes go wide and he can’t do anything but nod. “But I refuse to crawl around on the floor,” Jinyoung appends with dead-set conviction.

“Deal.” Jaebum says without hesitation.

“And you can’t try to incorporate any _actual_ cat toys, or—or _bowls_ —”

“What about the thing with the feather on the end?”

“…Up for discussion.”

Nodding repeatedly, Jaebum folds his hands in his lap and leans back. “I’ll take that.”

“You can’t put me on a leash or anything, either!” Jinyoung says with narrowed eyes, pointing an accusing finger at Jaebum.

Of course he tries not to, but it’s difficult not to tease Jinyoung, grinning as he says, “Cats aren’t usually on leashes.”

Bristling, Jinyoung crosses his arms, again. “You get my point.”

Not going to look a gift horse (gift cat?) in the mouth, Jaebum hurriedly submits. “Okay, okay!” When some of the tension in Jinyoung’s shoulders eases, it gives Jaebum the confidence to ask, “…But the collar…?”

Jinyoung is quiet for a long moment until he lets out a long breath, a pretty onset of red lighting up the tips of his ears. “…That part was fine.”

Should Jaebum be pushing his luck, right now? Absolutely not. Is he still going to? We Only Live Once. So yes. “Even if there was a bell?”

Jinyoung waves him off. “Yeah sure, whatever.”

“And—”

“ _Jaebum._ ”

“One more thing, I swear!” Jinyoung closes his eyes and lets out another long sigh, but otherwise doesn’t say anything, and Jaebum takes this as his acquiescence. “If I were to…um… _call_ to you? Would that be okay?”

Jinyoung nods, red and avoidant. “That’s—acceptable,” he says with a tone of finality. In an instance, his hand is already on the door handle, and Jaebum thinks to say goodnight, but halts when he notices Jinyoung lingering. “But it’s not like I have to come to you, or even listen to you at all,” he amends briskly. Eyes slide over to Jaebum, an accustomed mischievous glimmer dancing in his eyes and on his mouth. “Cats are notoriously known for doing what they want, anyway.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything different,” Jaebum agrees slowly.

The corners of Jinyoung’s lips quirk up. “Good.”

 

* * *

 

Mark stretches out on the couch, phone in hand as he scrolls through his social media. The five of them were supposed to have left for lunch almost 20 minutes ago, but BamBam’s been in the bathroom for about 40 minutes with no sign that he’s coming out any time soon. At this point, since the rest of them are going out and they’re late anyway, he thinks they might as well ask Jaebum and Jinyoung if they want to tag along.

“Hey,” Mark calls out. “Anyone know where the other two have been all day?”

Jackson kicks at his legs and grumbles, “Text them.”

Mark lowers his arms to blink blankly at him, meeting Jackson’s eyes for a few seconds before going back to his phone. “I’m busy.”

He gets a loud sigh in response and laughs when Jackson kicks him harder.

“You’re so lazy,” Jackson whines. He yelps when Mark kicks back at him but decides to inform him, anyway. “Jinyoung told me they were out ‘anniversary shopping’, which I’m assuming means he’s making Jaebum buy him shit.”

Yugyeom, sitting on the floor against the couch underneath where Jackson is laid out, pipes up to say, “We should ask them anyway, especially Jinyoung: If we don’t ask Jinyoung we’ll hear about it for months.”

“Try years.” BamBam yells from the bathroom. Mark snorts and nudges Jackson with his foot so he can get his attention.

“No, you’re thinking about Jackson,” Mark says, a bright grin spreading across his face when he hears a polyphony of laughter sounds around the room.

“True,” Yugyeom agrees as he air-fives Mark from his spot on the floor.

“I am right here.”

Yugyeom only laughs harder so Jackson rolls off the couch and directly onto him, abruptly cutting his laughter off into a vehement squawk.

As funny as the argument is, Youngjae goes ahead and texts Jaebum to ask if they want to join them.

 

_Hey we’re going to get lunch do you and Jinyoung want to come?_

 

The reply is, fortunately, almost immediate.

 

 _Don’t wait up we’re out shopping_  
_Probably going to be for a while you know how he is…_

 

_Lol are u sure we could meet up with you guys?_

 

 _It’s okay we’re a bit far out_  
_Jinyoung wanted to go to Chaungmuro Pet Street_

 

With a jolt Youngjae remembers that he had wanted to get dog food last week. All of the recent…brouhaha had kept him from making the trip. He sighs, thinking it would have been nice if he had known they were going there today. Maybe he could have tagged along or even just given one of them the money to buy it for him.

 

 _I wish you had told me I’ve been meaning to go out and buy more food for Coco…_  
_I would buy it online but it’s so expensive TT TT_

 

_Just text what brand I’ll get it for you_

 

Now, _that’s_ a surprise. Coco’s dog food is notoriously expensive, and Youngjae is often teased by the rest of them for spoiling her. But he’s just concerned about her health! Of course he’s only going to purchase the best!

 

_!!! Don’t worry about it!_

 

_I could probably find it really cheap here lol_

 

_Okay thank you!!! I’ll pay you back!!!!!_

 

_Dw about it :)_

 

After Youngjae sends off a quick message with the details and another thank you, he turns to the commotion and yells, “Jaebum said to go without them since they’re busy shopping.” They pause and Youngjae rushes to continue before they start up again. “He seems like he’s in a good mood, too; I’m glad they finally made up,” he lets out with a sigh.

“What do you mean by that?” asks Jackson as he climbs off of Yugyeom, rushing to head out and eat. There’s a small groan from Yugyeom’s crumpled form as Jackson gets up, and BamBam (at long last finished with getting ready) giggles as he helps pull him up.

“He offered to buy me food for Coco while he’s out shopping with Jinyoung.”

“The one with crushed diamonds in it?” Yugyeom receives a smack for his comment.

Mark pulls himself off the couch and not quite under his breath mutters, “It must with how much it costs.”

“I can’t believe the deadbeat has an opinion,” BamBam says from behind the safety of Yugyeom’s back, snickering when he catches Marks blank stare.

“Must be in a _great_ mood, then, if he’s buying you that,” Jackson acknowledges as they file out the door.

“They’re at Aewangyeon Market so he thought he might find it cheaper.”

“Why are they all the way out there?” Yugyeom wonders out loud. “I thought they were ‘anniversary shopping’?”

Youngjae shrugs, already more concerned with what he’s going to eat then why a couple of his friends want to browse through pet shops. “Jaebum has three cats,” Youngjae muses as he falls in step next to Mark. Almost as an afterthought he continues, “and he said Jinyoung wanted to go.”

“Jinyoung?” Yugyeom inquires further flabbergasted by the extra detail. “Why would Jinyoung want to go? Jaebum mail-orders all his cat stuff anyway.”

Simultaneously, a single thought registers through all of their heads, inciting a crest of soundlessness as they all process the facts.

It breaks when BamBam’s lone, “Oh my God,” resounds through the hallway.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Youngjae says quickly.

There’s another influx of silence, just avoided gazes as they walk.

A groan shocks the group into inaction, halting only to see BamBam squatting with his hands pressed to the sides of face. “Guys,” he croaks, eyes big and lip trembling as he speaks. “Now I have to get _five_ cats to beat Jaebum.”

No one helps him up when Yugyeom kicks him over.


End file.
